It’s July and now is the time to start planning your very own garden! If you live somewhere like me where the soil in your backyard is composed mostly of clay and rocks a raised garden bed is the way to go! This gives you full control over the ingredients and texture of your soil, ensuring the highest quality for your plants. Depending on the size and depth of the bed, you have the freedom to plant anything from herbs to full-bodied shrubs. Get going today and have deliciously-fresh homegrown vegetables ready in time for fall!
First thing’s first, select your site. Walk outside to your soon-to-be productive piece of land and survey your backyard for a place that gets at least six to eight hours of sunshine. This is vital for those heat-loving tomatoes and squash. Select a flat patch of earth so water won’t flow heavier to one side leaving the other side dry. It’s also important that there is enough room around the bed for you to work on all sides (stepping in the bed is a gardening sin). Once you’ve settled on the local, it’s time to decide on the calculations. The bed is a bottomless structure that should be about four feet wide. However, if one side of the bed is bordered by a fence or wall, the bed should be no wider that three feet. You must be able to access all parts of the garden in order to equally spread the love. The length of the bed is up to you. The optimal depth for a healthy herb/vegetable garden is about six to eight inches. You want to give your plants plenty of space for their roots to infiltrate the dirt and soak up life-sustaining nutrients. If your planning on growing vegetables like carrots or parsnips, they require deeper soil (ideally ten or twelve inches). To prep the site, outline the dimensions of the bed with chalk or string and remove any overgrown grass and weeds inside or around your garden. When you’re ready for business, dig out at least six to eight inches of soil within the outline for your bed using a shovel or garden fork. When you’re all finished, you might want to consider laying down a layer of weed-suppressing landscape fabric at the bottom.
Wood is the easiest and most inexpensive building material used for garden beds. Construct your bed out of rot-resisting wood such as cedar or redwood. Do not use wood that has been preserved with toxins for it can infect your soil and plants with unnatural chemicals. Visit your local home improvement store to find 2 x 4 or 1 x 6 sized lumber. Cut the wood at home using a circular saw or handsaw to your desired measurements. If you’re going all out and would like to build more than one bed, keep them at least eighteen inches apart. Next, attach the frame by connecting the corners using galvanized decking screws or nails. Use a level and make sure the wood is even in all directions. If one side of your frame is higher remove some soil beneath that side. Step… 1,003: Pat yourself on the back! You have finished the foundation for a lovely garden bed where your plants are sure to flourish and make your belly happy. Although the hard work is done, your plant parenthood has just begun (take note of the rhyme). Tune in for my next blog about composting and veggie varieties that are waiting to be born in your home garden!
Take a look at my very own garden bed! Lots of woman-power went into that.
Peace,
Brittany Lawrence
Eco-Rooted Writer
P.S. just took down a juicy peach from a farmers market in Rancho Santa Margarita. Good stuff. Hope you had a chance to visit a market near you!
Also, check out this inspiring TED lecture by Ann Cooper, a.k.a the lunch lady
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